Many enterprises employ data centers that include a relatively large number of computer servers or other types of electronic devices (e.g., storage devices, communications devices, etc.) mounted in racks. The electronic devices can be used for performing various tasks associated with the enterprise, such as to provide software applications, to perform data storage, to provide web-based services, to route data traffic in a network, and so forth.
The electronic devices mounted in racks of a data center are typically removably mounted, which means that the computer servers can be removed from respective racks for various reasons, such as to perform repairs, to perform component upgrades, and so forth. Often, after an electronic device has been removed from a particular bay of a rack, a different electronic device may be substituted in place of the removed electronic device. The removed electronic device can later be mounted in a different bay of the rack, or even in a different rack.
Some conventional techniques of identifying positions of electronic device mounted in racks involve manual identification, by personnel of the enterprise, of positions of the electronic devices. For example, a technician can visually determine positions of the electronic devices in a rack, and based on the visually identified positions, the technician can enter identification information into an asset management system. Such a manual process of positioning electronic devices in racks is error-prone and labor-intensive.
On the other hand, conventional automated techniques of positioning electronic devices in racks can be relatively complex and thus costly.